The year 1842 in science and technology included many events, some of which are listed here.

Contents

1 Mechanics 2 Paleontology 3 Technology 4 Awards 5 Births 6 Deaths

Mechanics

• Christian Doppler examines the Doppler shift of sound

Paleontology

• Richard Owen coins the term Dinosaur

Technology

• February 21 - John J. Greenough patents the sewing machine
• Crawford Long performs the first surgical operation using anesthesia

Awards

• Copley Medal: James MacCullagh
• Wollaston Medal: Leopold von Buch

Births

• February 2 - Yulian Vasilievich Sokhotski (d. 1927), mathematician.
• May 8 - Emil Christian Hansen (d. 1909), fermentation physiologist.
• August 23 - Osborne Reynolds (d. 1912), physicist.
• September 9 - Elliott Coues (d. 1899), ornithologist.
• September 20 - James Dewar (d. 1923), chemist.
• November 12 - John William Strutt, 3rd Baron Rayleigh (d. 1919), Nobel Prize-winning physicist.
• December 17 - Sophus Lie (d. 1899), mathematician.

Deaths

• February 15 - Archibald Menzies (b. 1754), botanist.
• May 8 - Jules Dumont d'Urville (b. 1790), explorer.
• August 18 - Louis de Freycinet, (b. 1779) explored coastal regions of Western Australia